The second trailer for Sony Pictures' Morbius released recently, and comic book fans were pleasantly surprised to see that it contained a number of references to several Spider-Man properties. However, these references also have generated quite a bit of confusion, as the trailer seems to contain elements from Sam Raimi's films, Marc Webb's films and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as Sony's independent Spider-Man universe. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the post-credits scene for Venom: Let There Be Carnage seems to suggest that the latter two universes have merged.
Let's break down all of the Spider-Man references in the second Morbius trailer, and examine which universe each one seems to come from.
Simon Stroud Investigated Morbius in the Comics
Simon Stroud is an FBI agent who is determined to hunt down Michael Morbius, and get some answers for the strange circumstances he's been involved in. He appears several times in the trailer, and is even seen to be wielding some sort of high-tech gauntlet in one shot. In the comics, Stroud is a CIA agent who has investigated Michael Morbius, the Man-Wolf and even Black Widow. He is portrayed by Tyrese Gibson, who has described the character as a superhero, as well as revealing that he signed a three-picture deal to play the character.
Peter Parker and Morbius Both Worked at Horizon Labs
A building bearing the name of "Horizon" appears in one of several cityscape shots in the Morbius trailer. This is most likely a reference to Horizon Labs, a company from the comic book source material that creates advanced technology. The company's CEO is Max Modell, who is one of Peter Parker's idols. Peter even worked there for a time as one of Horizon's seven lead scientists, as did Morbius himself. Considering Morbius' ties to Horizon, it's possible that the company will appear in the film, although it's more likely that its inclusion will simply serve as a quick Easter egg.
The Amazing Spider-Man's Oscorp Is Seen in the Morbius Trailer
One of the Morbius trailer's biggest connections to the Spider-Man universe is incredibly easy to miss. In another quick cityscape shot, a building is shown that displays the logo of Oscorp from Marc Webb's Amazing Spider-Man films. In the comics, Oscorp is a massive corporation owned and run by Norman Osborn, who is better known as the Green Goblin.
The appearance of the Oscorp building in the trailer marks the first cinematic appearance of the company since The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Previously, Oscorp also appeared in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy. The fact that Morbius uses the exact same logo as in the Amazing Spider-Man films is very intriguing, but it also further complicates an already confusing multiverse situation, especially considering the various other references throughout the trailer.
Spider-Man Villains Are Referenced in The Daily Bugle
The Morbius trailer features a brief glimpse of someone reading a copy of the Daily Bugle, a newspaper run by J. Jonah Jameson that is central to the Spider-Man mythos. The paper shown in the trailer uses the same logo that was featured in the Raimi films, but also includes references to the Rhino and Black Cat, two characters from Webb's films. While the Rhino mention could be written off as a reference to the animal considering its context, the Black Cat name-drop is an unmistakable shout-out to Spider-Man's on-again off-again love interest.
Morbius Jokes That He's Venom
There are two references to Venom in the Morbius trailer, with one being far more obvious than the other. Midway through the trailer, while Simon Stroud and his FBI team are investigating a crime scene created by Morbius, an agent mentions that they haven't seen something like this "since San Francisco." This is a clear reference to the fact that Venom is based out of San Francisco in his solo films.
The second reference comes towards the end of the trailer, when Michael Morbius defeats a mugger and tells him that he's Venom. When the mugger cowers in terror, Morbius tells him that he's joking, and identifies himself truthfully. While this seems to be a confirmation that the film is set in Sony's Spider-Man universe, the references to other iterations of the character throughout the trailer leave things up in the air.
Spider-Man Graffiti Suggests the Hero Is a Murderer
One of the most talked-about moments from Morbius' first trailer reappears in the second one, as Michael Morbius walks past graffiti that claims Spider-Man is a murderer. This seems to be a reference to Mysterio's framing of the Wall-Crawler for his death in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but this is made more complicated by the fact that the graffiti uses the suit design from Raimi's films. As if this wasn't already confusing enough, the image itself has been confirmed to come from the Spider-Man PS4 video game.
Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes Appears in the Morbius Trailer
Another reappearing moment from Morbius' first trailer is Michael Keaton reprising the role of Adrian Toomes from Spider-Man: Homecoming. While Keaton's appearance in the second trailer is as brief as in the first, he does have a new piece of dialogue in which he tells Morbius to stay in touch.
This seems to suggest that Morbius is a candidate for the Sinister Six, a team that had previously been hinted at in Spider-Man: Homecoming's post-credits scene. Given the fact that the team has been heavily hinted to appear in Spider-Man: No Way Home, fans will have to wait and see just what Sony and Marvel have up their sleeve for the villainous alliance.
Directed by Daniel Espinosa and starring Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona and Tyrese Gibson, Morbius arrives in theaters Jan. 28, 2022.